Ministers' pensions: How they're paid

SINGAPORE: When a Cabinet minister retires, the maximum annual pension he is entitled to would be about 10 per cent of his annual salary while he was in service. But to qualify for the maximum pension, he must have served as an office holder for 18 years, said Mr Tan Kee Yong, secretary to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, in a letter sent to the media on Friday. Also, Members of Parliament (MPs) elected after January 1995 are not eligible for pension. Mr Tan's clarification on the pension issue for political office holders and MPs came in the wake of the May 7 General Election, which has seen several veteran ministers and MPs retiring before the hustings started and Cabinet ministers, Mr George Yeo and Mrs Lim Hwee Hua, due to leave office after losing the electoral contest in Aljunied Group Representation Constituency (GRC). The changing of guard has sparked discussion on ...